Commodore Dieter Gerhardt’s trial begins in the Cape Town High Court

Date: 5 Sep 1983
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

The trial of Commodore Dieter Gerhardt on charges of spying for the Soviet Union began in the Cape Town High Court. The Judge President granted an application by the state that the proceedings be held in camera. Gerhardt was arrested in 1982, sentenced in 1983 to life imprisonment for passing military secrets. While in prison he was visited by Nelson Mandela, the newly elected African National Congress (ANC)President. The ANC stated that " as a former high-ranking South African Defence Force (SADF) officer, Gerhardt has information and insights that the ANC wants to take into account in its submission to Congress for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA)on the normalisation of the security forces. " But later the ANC said Gerhardt had become an ANC member and called for his release “so that he can contribute to the peace process."

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How we know this

01South African History Online, ‘Cape Town Timeline 1300-1997’, [online], available at www.sahistory.org.za(Accessed: 13 August 2012)
02Connexion, (1992) ‘Fresh scandals shake S. Africa Moves to reopen talks threatened’, 06 March, [online], available at https://saf.ek.la(Accessed: 13 August 2012)
03The Cold War Museum, ‘Fall of the Soviet Union’, [online], available at www.coldwar.org(Accessed: 13 August 2012)
04Albright D. (1994) ‘South Africa’s Secret Nuclear Weapons’, from Isis Report, May, [online], available www.isis-online.org(Accessed: 13 August 2012)

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, August 29). Commodore Dieter Gerhardt’s trial begins in the Cape Town High Court. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093147

South African History Online (2012) 'Commodore Dieter Gerhardt’s trial begins in the Cape Town High Court', South African History Online, 29 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093147 (Accessed: 28 August 2026).

South African History Online, Commodore Dieter Gerhardt’s trial begins in the Cape Town High Court [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093147, (accessed 28 August 2026).

"Commodore Dieter Gerhardt’s trial begins in the Cape Town High Court." South African History Online, 29 Aug. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093147. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Commodore Dieter Gerhardt’s trial begins in the Cape Town High Court." South African History Online. August 29, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093147.